Foster & Motley Inc. Lowers Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Foster & Motley Inc. lowered its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 239,417 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,345 shares during the period. Kroger comprises about 1.0% of Foster & Motley Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Foster & Motley Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $14,640,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $1,113,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,052,534 shares of the company's stock worth $249,717,000 after acquiring an additional 148,221 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Kroger by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,890,887 shares of the company's stock worth $280,248,000 after acquiring an additional 53,006 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 2,176,218 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,697,000 after purchasing an additional 36,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth about $566,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $1,167,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,444,361.80. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total value of $1,556,446.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 115,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,965,563.32. This represents a 18.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $61.35. 1,559,372 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,064,806. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $44.48 and a 12-month high of $63.59. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $60.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.99. The company has a market capitalization of $44.40 billion, a PE ratio of 16.23, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on KR shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Mkm raised their price target on Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.80.

Kroger Profile

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.